Navya, a former software engineer who grew up attending RSS events, entered politics suddenly when the BJP chose her as a candidate for a local body election in 2015.

BJP councilor Navya Haridas was surprised by the news of her candidacy for the high-profile Wayanad Lok Sabha by-poll, where she will be contesting against Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

“I only received official confirmation after my ticket was announced on news channels. I had a hint that my name was on the list of probable candidates, but I didn’t expect to be selected,” Navya told The Indian Express.

At 39, Navya currently serves as a councilor in the Kozhikode municipal corporation and is also the state general secretary of the BJP’s women’s wing, the Mahila Morcha.

Navya, an engineering graduate, stumbled into politics by chance. After earning her BTech degree, she worked as a software professional at HSBC Bank for two and a half years. In 2009, she married Shobin Shyam, a marine engineer, and relocated to Singapore, where she continued her career in various software firms.

Navya’s family had strong ties to the Sangh Parivar, and she grew up witnessing RSS meetings held at their home in Kozhikode. She also participated in RSS student activities during her youth. However, she says that politics was never part of the plan.

In 2015, during a brief visit to Kozhikode, Navya witnessed the local body elections in Kerala, a moment that would change her life. “I was on a short vacation with my children when the BJP approached me with a ticket, considering my family’s Sangh Parivar background. I was nominated from the general seat in the corporation, and overnight, I became a candidate,” she recalls. Her initial plan was to return to Singapore if she lost the election.

However, Navya never went back to her corporate career. She won the election, becoming a councilor in 2015, and successfully retained her seat in the 2020 elections.

In the 2021 Assembly elections, she took the big political plunge and was fielded as the BJP candidate from the Kozhikode South seat. She lost the seat to Indian National League candidate Ahamed Devarkovil, but ended up increasing the BJP vote share from 16.56% in the 2016 Assembly polls to 20.89% in the 2021 polls.

Navya will now face the biggest political battle of her career, in a seat with the spotlight on it because of Gandhi’s’ close association to it.

Wayanad and Rae Bareli were the two seats Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi contested in the recent Lok Sabha polls. He retained the latter, necessitating a by-poll in Wayanad. His sister Priyanka will now make her electoral debut from the seat — increasing the stakes for the Congress in the state.

Navya says she is unfazed by the “profile of rival candidates” in Wayanad. “Priyanka Gandhi’s acceptance is only because of her links with the Nehru family. Rahul Gandhi had breached a promise to the people of Wayanad. He abandoned the constituency only to pave the way for his sister. No other local Congress leaders were considered for Wayanad. They (the Gandhi family) are using Wayanad to increase the dominance of their family in politics,’’ says Navya.

She adds that her “educational background” as well as “the acceptance she gained as a representative of the Kozhikode corporation” will help her reach out to people.